MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is the most loving, caring, and decisive among the country’s top five government officials, according to a recent survey conducted by by political management and lobbying firm Publicus Asia. Publicus Asia’s pilot Pahayag survey tested the people’s perception on Duterte, Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo, Chief Justice Lourdes…
The detained father of brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute, who led the attack on Marawi City, passed away on Sunday, August 27, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). BJMP spokesperson and Senior Insp. Xavier Solda said Cayamora Maute, 67, died past 3:00 p.m. in a government hospital after his blood pressure…
Pacquiao-Horn rematch in ‘jeopardy’ LAS VEGAS — After defeating Conor McGregor via a technical knockout in the tenth round of their match on Sunday, August 27, Floyd Mayweather Jr. said he’s retiring “for sure.” Now with a 50-0 for most wins without a loss or draw, Mayweather said his fight with the one of the biggest…
“Mr. President, lock me in jail for as long as you want but please just stop the killings.” This was the bargain Senator Leila De Lima is willing to make with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Fr. Robert Reyes told the Inquirer. De Lima celebrated her 58th birthday on Sunday, August 27 while in detention at…
Malacañang has denied the claim of an opposition lawmaker that China has planted its flag on a sand cay seven nautical miles off a Philippine-controlled island in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Citing a “very reliable source,” Palace Spokesperson Ernesto Abella affirmed that no Chinese flag has been mounted near Kota Island, which…
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa dismissed claims that the rise of death toll in connection with the government’s campaign against illegal drugs are causing fear among the public. During a Senate hearing on the controversial killing of a 17-year-old student Kian Loyd Delos Santos, the country’s top cop remarked that…
PHILIPPINE Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno on Thursday, August 24, shrugged off threats to remove her from the office, saying that the impeachment case build up against her does not affect her at all. Breaking her silence on the issue, the chief justice expressed confidence that efforts to oust her will not prosper. “Nothing can…
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) will no longer pursue the plan to construct the heavily-opposed Nickelodeon theme park in an island considered as the Philippines’ “last ecological frontier.” In a statement released Tuesday, August 22, VIMN said it has reached an agreement with Coral World Park to discontinue the licensing agreement for the attraction in…
MANILA – An impeachment complaint has been filed against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Andres Bautista for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust. Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and former Congressman Jacinto Paras filed the complaint before the House of Representatives on Wednesday, August 23. The complaint stemmed from allegations of the…
THE Philippine government maintained that it will not hand over any part of the country’s territory and will continue to assert its maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano made the assurance on Tuesday, August 22, amid reports that Chinese vessels have been recently spotted near Pag-asa Island…
THE Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has formed a retrieval team to secure ballot boxes being questioned in connection with former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s electoral protest against Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. According to the court’s resolution dated August 8, the retrieval team is tasked to…
The Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld with finality its earlier decision convicting United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for killing Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude in October 2014. In a resolution issued on Tuesday, August 15, the appellate court’s former Special 16th Division dismissed the appeal filed by Pemberton seeking…
Malacañang on Tuesday, August 22 assured that President Rodrigo Duterte remains “in full control” of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s enforcement of the administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs. In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella refuted accusations that Duterte has lost control of the police amid the controversial killing spree—particularly of the recent killing…
MANILA – Any conditions on assistance the Philippines may receive from a foreign aid agency must be aligned with the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, a Palace official said. Malacañang issued the statement on Sunday, August 20 after Washington-based Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) announced that the Philippines is among the candidate countries to receive…
DFA: 4 Irish citizens of Filipino descent among injured The Philippine government on Friday, August 18 condemned the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain that left at least 13 people dead and dozens injured. “The Philippines condemns in the strongest terms this disturbing act of terror perpetrated by extremists against innocent men, women and children in Barcelona,”…
The Philippine government is “plumbing new depths of barbarity” after President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “drug war” reached its highest single-day death toll this week, human rights group Amnesty International (AI) said on Thursday, August 17. Thirty-two alleged drug offenders were killed at the province-wide “one time, big time” simultaneous bloody raids in Bulacan on Wednesday,…
MANILA – The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2017, according to the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday, August 17. While the figure is lower compared to the 7.1 percent growth in the same period last year, it is higher than the…
MANILA – Senators Richard Gordon and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III claimed there is no sufficient evidence proving the involvement of President Rodrigo Duterte’s son Paolo in the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu from China. Photos showing the younger Duterte together with Kenneth Dong—the alleged middleman of the smuggled shipment—were presented during the resumption of…
The drug menace in the country cannot be fixed in a single term, Philippine President Rodrigo admitted, saying that even the competent United States has been struggling against it. Duterte won the May 2016 presidential elections with a vow to completely crush the illegal drugs trade in the country. In a forum last week, the…
MANILA – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon had a heated exchange during the resumption of Senate inquiry into the entry of P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu from China. During the Senate’s third hearing on Tuesday, August 15, Trillanes, who was the first interpellate, asked Faeldon if there is…
The Philippine government on Monday, August 14 called on the United States and North Korea to “desist from threats and military action” that may escalate nuclear tensions between countries. In a media conference, Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella also urged Washington and Pyongyang to conduct talks and put an end to any further missile tests…
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) is planning to file a second impeachment complaint against Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista. Earlier this week, former Negros Oriental Representative and current VACC member Jacinto Paras requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for copies of documents related to the allegations made by Bautista’s…
The Philippine Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, August 16, rejected the ad interim appointment of Judy Taguiwalo as the country’s Social Welfare Secretary. Taguiwalo is President Rodrigo Duterte’s third cabinet official rejected by the appointments body. The other two were Gina Lopez as Environment Secretary and Perfecto Yasay Jr. as Foreign Affairs Secretary. While…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called on Filipinos outside the country to remain vigilant, following the recent series of terror attacks abroad. In a statement released Tuesday, August 15, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano encouraged Filipinos overseas remain prepared against unforeseen “senseless acts of violence.” According to the DFA, there are more than…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is going to support any move—including impeaching any official regardless of position—that would help in ridding the government of corruption, Malacañang said on Monday, August 14. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella stressed that keeping the administration clean from any irregularities has been among Duterte’s major campaign promises. “Without making references to any…
Unfazed by the criticism coming from the government of the United States, Malacañang on Friday, July 21 said the ‘real judge’ of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war is no one else but the Filipino people. In a press conference hours after a U.S. Congress hearing on the Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign, Duterte’s spokesperson, Ernesto…
For Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, his first year in the office thus far has been filled with unpredictable highs and lows. It’s been 12 months since the tough-talking former Davao mayor was sworn in as the 16th president of the country, becoming the first Mindanaoan and the oldest — at 72-years old — to take…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte emphasized the need of eradicating drug impunity during the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday, May 11, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In his keynote speech, Duterte urged the international leaders to pursue a drug-free community to protect the younger generation from harm brought…
THE San Francisco Police District (SFPD) in California has put an end to its 16 year-long exchange training program with the Philippine National Police (PNP). According to reports from California news station KPIX, retired SFPD Lieutenant Eric Quema said the turmoil in the Philippines affects the segments of the program. The partnership training was cut…
